Nineteen Years Later
by Angelholme
Summary: Harry and Luna find themselves lost in time, only to return to a world they don't recognise.Despite the title, this has nothing to do with Deathly Hallows. It is, instead, a timetravel story of sorts featuring Harry and Luna.
1. Disclaimer

**Disclaimer**

I am not actually J.K.Rowling (I know - it's hard to believe, isn't it?). I am not doing this for profit, and no infringement of copyright is intended. I am merely doing it because this idea got stuck in my head, and if I don't let it out, then I will go crazy, and I am pretty sure none of us want that, do we?

**Notes**

Despite the title, this is not related to Deathly Hallows in any way. Instead it is a (sort of) time-travel story set during the first term of Harry's fifth year. It features Harry and Luna in the main, but also features a few of the other "lesser characters" as it progresses.


	2. Prologue

**Nightmares.**

Harry Potter raised his wand, and looked around. A moment before he had been in Privet Drive, trying to outrun Dudley and his gang of thugs. Then, without knowing how, he found himself in the center of the Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch. It was the middle of the night, and while he couldn't see anyone, he could hear people moving around.

Suddenly the pitch was flooded in light, and he saw his friends stood behind him, while twenty death eaters stood in front.

"KILL THE SPARE!"

A beam of green light lanced out of the group of Death Eaters, and Cedric fell dead at his feet. He tried to cast a spell, but nothing came out of his mouth.

"KILL THE SPARE!"

Ginny collapsed under another killing curse.

"KILL THE SPARE!"

Hermione. Dead.

"KILL THE SPARE!"

Ron. Dead.

"KILL THE SPARE!"

Neville. Dead.

"KILL THE SPARE!"

"I don't think so" Harry span round and stared at the person who had spoken.

"How did you do that?" He asked quietly.

"It's not my time" The figure smiled back at him "And you should go now"

xoxox

Harry sat bolt upright in bed, then collapsed backwards. As nightmares went, this one had been pretty typical, if more intense than some of the previous ones. But the end - that was something he would have to think about.

He closed his eyes again, wondering if anyone else was as plagued with nightmares as he was.

xoxox

Luna Lovegood sat on top of the Astronomy Tower, and thought about Harry Potter. She had met him on the train, and was surprised at how... normal he seemed. She had seen him before, of course - even without his performances on the Quidditch field, The Boy Who Lived attracted a lot of attention by simply walking through the halls - but this was the first time she had really spoken to him, and it had been nice.

Of course, the fact he hadn't teased her, belittled her or mocked her in any way made him one of her closest friends, even if they never spoke again.

Her thoughts were disturbed by a low, roaring sound. She looked around, wondering if there was a dragon loose, then caught sight of the lake, and her mouth fell open in surprise.

There was a huge wall of water, nearly twenty feet high, racing towards the shore at an incredible speed. But the thing that grabbed her attention was that the wave, and the rest of the lake, had turned red.

Blood Red.

She watched in horror as the wave crashed against the shore of the lake, and kept going. Within moments it had demolished the Quidditch pitch, and less than a minute it crashed against the main doors to the school.

They held it back for a moment, but then collapsed under the weight and force of the water. She turned, and saw the blood-red water rage through the school, filling the courtyard and drowning everyone in its wake.

She turned back, and realised the wave was spreading outwards. The Forbidden Forest - gone. Hogsmeade - gone. Scotland - gone. The wave was swallowing up the entire country, and no one could stop it.

"Flood waters recede" A voice from behind her said "It just takes time" She turned and her eyes widened.

"It's you"

"Yes. It's me" The figure smiled back at her "And you should go now"

xoxox

Luna sat bolt upright in bed, staring wildly around at the room. As she calmed down, and reality re-asserted itself, she realised she was in her dorm at Hogwarts.

She closed her eyes, and laid back down, trying to remember the nightmare that had woken her. The details were becoming hazy, but the one thing she remembered - the one thing she realised she would never forget - was the undeniable feeling that something was about to happen. Something very, very bad.


	3. The Quidditch Match

**The Quidditch Match**

"You should have a bigger breakfast than that" Hermione looked down at Harry's plate, then back up at her friend. He stared back at her, but she got the feeling he wasn't really seeing her.

"Sorry?"

"Are you alright?" She looked at him in concern "Do you want to go and see Madam Pomfrey?"

"No" He shook his head, still looking a little vacant "I'll be fine" She stared at him for a moment, shrugged.

"Okay" She looked down at his plate again "But you really should eat some more" She smiled fondly "You don't want to be passing out during the match, do you?" He gave her a faint smile, then nodded. A few moments later, he piled some more food on to his plate. She watched him for a moment, then turned back to her own breakfast, and to Ron, who was currently in a state of mild panic at the thought of his first match.

xoxox

Luna wandered down to the entrance hall, and watched as Harry and the other Gryffindors left and headed down the Quidditch pitch. She knew it was the first game of the season, and that she really should attend, but the nightmare had shaken her up more than she had realised, and all she wanted to do was have breakfast, then go back to bed.

She turned, and walked in to the Great Hall, and sat down at the end of the Ravenclaw table. A moment later, a bowl of cereal appeared in front of her, and she began to eat.

"Miss Lovegood?"

"Yes, Headmaster?"

"Are you not attending the Quidditch match?" Dumbledore looked down at her.

"I wasn't planning on it, Headmaster" Luna looked up at him "I didn't sleep well last night, and I am not sure I can deal with the typical Gryffindor/Slytherin theatrics today"

"I understand" There was a pause, then - to her surprise - the Headmaster sat down next to her.

"Sir?"

"I understand that you made friends with Mr Potter on the way up to school?"

"I wouldn't call it making friends, sir" Luna continued to eat, rather than looking at Dumbledore "We shared a compartment on the train, with a few of his friends" She shrugged "I don't know whether we are friends or not"

"Oh" He stood up, then turned to her "May I ask what you talked about?"

"Goblin Pies, sir" She resisted the urge to smirk at the expression on his face.

"Really?"

"Yes sir" She finished her cereal, then, as the bowl vanished, she looked up "May I be excused, sir? I think I should go and lie down"

"Of course, Miss Lovegood" She watched him walk up to the staff table, then stood up, walked out of the great hall and headed back to Ravenclaw Tower.

xoxox

"Come on Harry" Hermione was walking briskly down to the pitch, while her friend was lagging a little behind "You don't want to be late, do you?"

"Sorry Hermione" He said, catching up "I just didn't sleep well last night – nightmares..."

"Nightmares?" She span round "What were they about? Did you tell Dumbledore? He would want to know. So would Si.. snuffles..." She stopped as he held a hand up.

"Hermione - I am fine" He shivered "I have been having nightmares since Cedric... since the night of The Third Task. I am sure it is only normal" He shrugged in a self-deprecating manner "Seeing someone die, right in front of you, then watching Voldemort be reborn would probably give anyone nightmares"

"But still..."

"Enough" He smiled to take the sting out of his words, and, after a moment, she nodded back "Besides - I think that Ron might need a little pep-talk as well" They both looked forward, just in time to see Ron get his feet tangled up with the broomstick he was carrying.

"You might have a point" She smiled "Come on then – let's go see if we can pep Ron up a little"

xoxox

Luna lay back on her bed, and closed her eyes. When she was little, her mother had sung to her at night when she couldn't sleep, and now one of her favourite melodies was going round in her head.

_Hush, now, my little one.  
Please don't you cry.  
Lay your head down  
On my shoulder and sigh._

_Sun's gone away,  
and Mama will pray  
Silence will keep  
all the while you're asleep._

A few moments later, she fell asleep.

xoxox

"Ron – calm down" Hermione put her hand on her friend's shoulder in a gesture of support "What's the worse that can happen?"

"I could fall off my broom? I could let in every shot from the Slytherins? I could fly in to one of the hoop-posts and break every bone in my body?"

"Apart from those" Hermione said, then shook her head "Look at Harry – he played his first game without anything going wrong, didn't you Harry... Harry?" Ron turned at the tone of panic in Hermione's voice and saw she was staring back up the path to the castle.

"What's wrong?" He asked, but she merely pointed to the path "I can't see anyone"

"I know" She said, her voice shaking "But Harry was there a moment ago"

"Maybe he went back up to the castle to get something?"

"I suppose" She started walking back towards the school.

"Where are you going?"

"He said he wasn't feeling well" She said "I thought someone should check on him" She paused, turning back to him "You go ahead, and see if you can... stall them"

"Okay" He shrugged "But I don't see Malfoy agreeing to wait all that long"

xoxox

A few moments later, Hermione ran in to The Headmaster and Professor McGonagall coming down the path to the pitch.

"Headmaster – have you seen Harry recently?"

"No, Miss Granger, I haven't" Dumbledore looked down at her "Why do you ask?"

"He was right behind us – Ron and me – then he seemed to vanish" Hermione started to panic a little. Harry couldn't have returned to the castle without passing the two teachers, and if they hadn't seen him, where was he?

"I am sure there will be an explanation" McGonagall said kindly "Perhaps he went to see Hagrid..."

"Just before the match?" Hermione cut her off, not caring how rude she sounded "I don't think he would do that" She turned back to Dumbledore "Sir – is there any way someone could get on to the grounds and..."

"The wards have been tightened since June, Miss Granger" Dumbledore said "But I can't rule out the possibility that someone could have breached them" He stared down at her intently "I can order a full search of the castle, but are you absolutely certain he hasn't merely gone for a walk?"

"No" She shook her head "I am absolutely certain, sir" She sighed in resignation, then her eyes lit up "If we go down to The Pitch, and he isn't there, will you be willing to do it then?"

"Miss Granger – how dare you talk to..."

"Professor!" Hermione yelled at McGonagall, then blushed "Sorry - I didn't mean to yell. But you know how much Quidditch means to Harry, especially this game" She stared at both of them "Can you really see him missing it by choice?"

xoxox

"Madam Hooch" Dumbledore strode on to the pitch, while Hermione and McGonagall walked over to the Gryffindor team "Have you, by any chance, seen Mr Potter yet?"

"No Headmaster, I haven't" The flying teacher sounded confused "I was about to tell the Gryffindor team that, if he didn't turn up soon, they would either have to play a reserve, or forfeit the match"

"If you could wait just a few more minutes, I would be most grateful" Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked over to Harry's team mates "Have any of you seen Mr Potter?"

"We did see him earlier, sir" Alicia said, gesturing to Katie "He was behind Hermione and Ron"

"And did you see where he went?"

"Erm... no, sir" She looked down at her feet "We were talking to the twins, and when we turned back, he had vanished" She stared up "You don't think there is anything wrong, do you sir?"

"I don't know, but I am starting to think there might be" The Headmaster paused, then nodded his head, as if coming to a decision "If you will excuse me" They watched as he walked over to Madam Hooch, exchanged a few words, then walked across to the stand where Lee Jordan was ready to commentate on the match.

"What's he doing?" Fred asked.

"I think he is going to cancel the match" Hermione said quietly. A moment later, they watched Lee stand aside as Dumbledore stood in front of the magical-megaphone.

"If I could have you attention please?" The crowd fell silent as Dumbledore's voice echoed through the grounds "I am afraid this match will have to be postponed for today" There were a few boos from the far end of the stands, where the Slytherins were located, but they were soon silenced "And I want all students to return to their Common Rooms. You are to go straight there, and wait there until your Heads of Houses come to collect you" He paused "The prefects will escort their students back, and all staff are to remain here, as I will need your assistance" He looked around "However, I would ask that the Gryffindor chasers and beaters remain behind as well, as I will need your help too. Thank you" He walked back down to the pitch, watching as the crowd started to follow his instructions.

"Madam Hooch, please come with me"

"Yes, Headmaster" The two teachers walked over to the Gryffindor team.

"Miss Bell, Miss Johnson, Miss Spinnet, Messrs Weasley - I want you five to do an aerial search of the grounds with Madam Hooch. If you spot anything out of the ordinary, report it to her at once"

"Yes sir" The five students said, then Katie continued "Are we looking for Harry, sir?"

"Yes, Miss Bell" As the five students took off, he turned to the other staff "Severus, Minerva, Filius, Pomona - I would like you to go back to your Houses, and count all of your students. I need to know if anyone else is missing as well" He paused "Also, I want you to search your common rooms and dormitories, on the off chance"

"Yes, Headmaster" The four Heads of Houses replied, then turned back to the castle.

"Hagrid – could you go to The Forrest, and have a look around. Also, if you could talk to Bane and the other centaurs"

"Yes sir" Hagrid turned and walked away, leaving Dumbledore with the rest of the staff.

"We need to search the castle from top to bottom"

xoxox

"Hermione?"

"Yes Parvati?"

"Where's Harry?" Hermione span round to face her fellow Gryffindor.

"Pardon?"

"The staff are searching the castle. The Gryffindor team are scouring the grounds. And every Gryffindor in Hogwarts is in this common room, except for one" Parvati stared at her "I might not be in Ravenclaw, but I am not stupid"

"We don't know where he is" Hermione sighed "He was coming down to the match, then he vanished"

"Then we should look for him!" Colin said from behind Parvati "You know he would do the same for us!" There was a muttering of agreement, but Hermione held up her hand.

"The staff are doing just that" She said "And if we go wandering about, then we might get in the way"

"And if something has happened" Ron added "Then Professor Dumbledore would not want it happening to us"

"So we just sit here, and wait?"

"Yes" Hermione said firmly "That is all we can do at the moment"

xoxox

Two hours later, Dumbledore gathered all of the staff together in the staffroom.

"So – nothing?"

"No, Headmaster" McGonagall said "He isn't in Gryffindor Tower, nor is he anywhere else"

"The Gryffindor team couldn't find any sign of him, or anyone else" Madam Hooch added "No indications that anyone had been on the grounds who shouldn't have been, and nothing to show he had left the grounds either"

"The wards support that view as well" Dumbledore said "No one has left the grounds today, and no one has come on to them from outside" He paused as he saw Professor Flitwick wanting to speak "Filius?"

"Luna Lovegood is missing as well" Everyone turned to stare at him "According to some of her house mates, she went for a lie down, but when they returned to the dorms, she wasn't there"

"Headmaster" Snape spoke up "There is one place we haven't searched"

"Where?" McGonagall asked.

"The Chamber Of Secrets" Snape sneered "It is a place that Potter, and only Potter, can get to. And if he, and Lovegood, wanted to be alone..."

"You are suggesting he has sneaked away for a romantic interlude?" Dumbledore smiled slightly "Well – that would be a nice outcome, but somehow..."

"Is there anyway we could check it, Headmaster?" Flitwick asked "I don't think Harry would have done this before the match, but if we want to be sure..."

"I agree, but - I have to admit – I am at a loss" There was a sudden flash of light from behind him, and they turned to see Fawkes hovering at the end of the room "Of course – my apologies, Fawkes" The phoenix bowed its head in acknowledgment "Was Mr Potter in The Chamber?" The phoenix shook its head mournfully "Miss Lovegood?" Another shake "Thank you"

"So – what do we do now?" McGonagall asked.

"I think we should make some further inquiries, without drawing too much attention" Dumbledore said "If Voldemort were to find out that Harry is not at Hogwarts..." He shook his head "For the moment, we should continue as normal"

"What about the students?" Severus asked "Potter is a noticeable figure – he is going to be missed"

"I will tell them that he was injured, and that he was taken to St Mungos. That should hold for a few weeks, as long as we can get his friends to stick to that story"

"And Miss Lovegood?" Filius asked "I realise she is not as... obvious as Mr Potter, but her house mates will miss her as well"

"A similar story should suffice"

xoxox

"I could fall off my broom? I could let in every shot from the Slytherins? I could fly in to one of the hoop-posts and break every bone in my body?" Harry smiled at Ron's words. He remembered thinking pretty much the same thing before his first match. He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering Oliver's words of encouragement, then stopped dead when he opened them again.

Hermione and Ron had vanished.

He rubbed his eyes, and looked again, but his friends did not reappear.

"Hermione?" He called out "Ron?" He looked around, but realised the entire area was empty. He walked a few steps forward, then stopped "What's going on?" He turned round, and his mouth fell open in surprise.

xoxox

"It's time, sweetheart. You have to get up for school"

"Just a few more minutes" Luna rolled over, then wriggled a little "When did my bed get so uncomfortable?" She thought.

"If you don't get up now, you will miss the train"

"Okay" Luna rolled over to face her mother, only to find she had vanished "Mum?" She sat up, then realised why her bed was so uncomfortable – she was sleeping on the floor. She looked around, and her mouth fell open in surprise.

"When did my dorm get an open roof?" She asked herself, still thinking she was dreaming "And where are the walls?"

xoxox

Harry walked back up the path he had walked down only a few minutes before, still not believing what he was seeing. Hogwarts, a school of magic that had stood for more than a thousand years, was an utter ruin. There wasn't a part of it that was left standing, and, although he wasn't an expert, there didn't seem to be enough rubble in the surrounding area to make up the complete castle.

"What..." He trailed off as there was a sudden flare of light from one side of the ruin.

xoxox

"LUMOS!" Luna yelled, then smiled as her wand illuminated the area she was in. But her smile faded as she realised that her initial thoughts had been wrong. She hadn't been kidnapped from Hogwarts, and transported to another location.

"I'm still in Hogwarts" She said to herself "But Hogwarts isn't here any more" She walked out of the remains of the dorm, and set off down what used to be the main corridor, towards the entrance hall.

xoxox

Harry was stood in the ruins of the Great Hall when he heard a noise behind him. He span round, wand raised, then he lowered it.

"Luna?"

"Harry?" They stared at each other for a moment.

"What's going on here?" They said together.

"I just woke up and found... this"

"I was walking down to the pitch, and Ron and Hermione vanished" He looked around, then stopped, a look of horror coming over his face "Do you think this happened everywhere?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well – if Hogwarts is like this, what about Hogsmeade? Diagon Alley? The Ministry?" Harry turned, and started walking towards the grounds again. After a moment, Luna followed.

xoxox

When they reached the outside, they turned to the path that would take them to Hogsmeade.

"What are we going to do if..." Luna trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"I don't know" Harry replied quietly "But we can't stay here" He looked back "No one has been here for a while, and we need to find out what is going on"

"I agree" Luna said with half a smile "I am just worried"

"I know"

xoxox

"So – not just Hogwarts then?" The two of them were walking down the main street, staring at the ruins of the shops and building that, just three days before, had been thriving businesses.

"Apparently not" Luna replied. She glanced over at the burnt out shell of what had been The Three Broomsticks, and then turned back for a better look.

"Luna?"

"Shhh" She waved her hand at him as she walked over to one of the walls. She stared at it for a moment, then pulled out her wand "SCOURGIFY!" The soot and ash flew off the wall, and – little by little – she revealed what was painted underneath. After she was done, she turned back to Harry "So – what do you make of this?" He walked over to where she was, and followed her gaze.

"Well – there's something you don't see every day" On the wall, in letters six feet high, were the words "POTTER LIVES!"

"Freeze!" A voice yelled from behind them "Put your wands on the floor, and your hands above your head" They both did as they were told, then slowly turned round. In front of them stood two figures in dark robes, with their hoods up over their heads "Who are you?"

"My name is Luna Lovegood" Luna said "And this is my friend Harry Potter"

"Don't be stupid" The voice said "Potter's dead. So is Lovegood"

"That's not what this wall thinks" Luna replied "But if you want more proof, will you let my friend show you his scar?" There was a pause as the two figures conferred.

"Okay – go ahead. But if you so much as look at your wand..."

"I won't" Harry said, then lowered one hand, and pulled his fringe back. There was a moment of silence, then the two figures lowered the hoods of their robes. Harry and Luna stared at the faces they now saw.

"Parvati?"

"Padma?"

"Luna!" Padma rushed forward, then stopped right in front of them "It's you? It's really you?"

"Yes" Luna was still staring at her Ravenclaw House mate, unable to accept what she was seeing "What's going on?"

"You mean you don't know?" Parvati said, walking up behind her twin.

"Know what?" Harry looked around "Why is Hogwarts a ruin? Why does Hogsmeade look abandoned? And why, if you don't mind me saying, do you two look so old?"

"Harry" Padma turned to him "What year is it?"

"1995" Harry replied "The first term of my fifth year" He looked at the expressions on their faces "I was supposed to be playing Quidditch against Slytherin, but..." He waved his arms around "This happened" He saw an exchange of looks between the twins "Please – what's going on?"

"Harry" Parvati said slowly "It's now 2014. You – both of you – have been missing, and presumed dead, for over nineteen years"

xoxox

_Luna's song was originally from Series 5 of Xena._


	4. The Resistance

The Resistance

"Nineteen years?" Harry stared at Parvati "What do you mean – nineteen years?"

"The last time anyone saw you – both of you – was the morning of the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match at the start of our fifth year" Parvati replied, still staring in disbelief at the two students in front of her "You vanished on the way to the game, and Luna... Luna simply vanished" She glanced at her twin, who nodded "Since then, there have been rumoured sightings, and a few never gave up hope" She gestured at the wall "Potter Lives has become the unofficial motto of The Resistance"

"The Resistance?" Harry looked around "What are you resisting?" Padma stared at them, then shook her head.

"You wouldn't know" She said in surprise "Wow. Someone who doesn't know about the war" She realised that Harry and Luna were staring at her "Sorry – but it's been a long war, and the idea of someone not knowing about it..." She smiled "It's a nice thought that someone is still untouched by all this"

"The war?" Luna looked around "This is the result of a war?"

"Yes" Parvati nodded, then looked around "But I think we have spent enough time out in the open" She glanced up at the sky "The government has been increasing the fly-overs in recent months" She and her sister flipped up their hoods, while Harry conjured a pair of hooded robes and handed one to Luna. She smiled at him, then they followed the Patil sisters through the ruins of Hogsmeade.

xoxox

"Have the Patils returned yet?"

"No Commander"

"Don't call me Commander"

"Well – you can't be an admiral, because we don't have any boats"

"Very funny. Have they reported in?"

"No Comm... No m'am"

"M'am isn't that much better, but I can live with it"

"What do we do about the twins?"

"Give them another half hour, then ask me again"

xoxox

"Where are we going?" Luna asked.

"HQ" Parvati replied "The Commander will want to meet you" Her sister smirked.

"You always did have a gift for understatement, sis" She glanced at Harry, who was looking confused "The Commander will explain it when we arrive"

"And where is HQ?" Harry asked.

"We can't say" Padma replied with a smirk "And, before you think we are hiding something, I mean we literally can't say"

"Fidelius?"

"Amongst others" Parvati sighed "We have had problems in the past with selecting suitable secret keepers, so we have been putting in additional protections to wherever we are hiding" She paused "Which is something we need to discuss with you now"

"Really?" Luna looked around "Are we here?"

"Nearly" Padma came to a halt, then both twins turned to them "Parvati is going to wait here with you, while I go inside and talk to the Commander" She paused "I suspect that she will want to meet with you, but as neither of us can tell you how to pass the wards, we can't take you there directly"

"We understand" Luna nodded "I am sure we will find a lot of things to talk about with your sister"

xoxox

"Commander. I have a report"

"Don't call me..."

"Harry Potter has returned" Padma paused, staring at the woman who led The Resistance, then smirked "I'm sorry – you were saying something?"

xoxox

"Where have you been?" Parvati asked "You haven't aged a day since I last saw you, and neither of you strike me as the type to have been hiding for nineteen years" Harry glanced at Luna, then shrugged.

"We don't know" He replied "One minute I was walking down to the Quidditch pitch with Hermione and Ron, and the next moment I was alone. Completely and utterly alone"

"Same with me" Luna continued "I fell asleep in my dorm, and woke up in the ruins of the school" Both she and Harry glanced back up the street, to where the skyline was usually dominated by the silhouette of Hogwarts "Can you at least tell us when the school..." She gestured at the empty sky "When the school fell apart?"

"Nearly ten years ago now" Parvati replied in a sad voice "It was one of the last battles of the conflict, and the most decisive" She shivered "But I don't want to talk about it – bad memories"

"Okay" Harry nodded sympathetically "I am sure that your Commander, whoever she is, will be able to tell us more" He looked around as Padma came down the street again "Did you just appear out of nowhere?"

"Yes" Padma said matter-of-factly "Now, the Commander has given permission for you to come in to the HQ, but only as far as the first circle"

"She doesn't believe we are us" Luna said.

"Lets say she is not entirely convinced" Padma replied "You have been gone nineteen years, and now you re-appear, not looking a day older" She stared at them "Are you really surprised?"

"Not really, no" Harry shook his head, then suddenly turned "Someone is coming"

xoxox

"This place is deserted" Crabbe complained. Half an hour earlier, he and Goyle had been dispatched to Hogsmeade after the wards had been triggered around Hogwarts "No one comes here any more – not since The Liberation"

"So who are they?" Goyle gestured down the road "They don't look like Aurors"

xoxox

"Aurors" Parvati replied "They must have picked up your arrival at Hogwarts" She pulled out her wand, as did her sister "We can't let them leave"

"But... Aurors?" Harry turned to stare at the approaching figures "Shouldn't we be asking them for help?"

"You don't understand" Padma shook her head sadly, then both she and her sister span to face the on coming Aurors "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

"What the hell?" Harry yelled "You are using unforgivables on Aurors now? Who the hell taught you that?"

"Our Commander" Parvati replied "Sis – go take care of the bodies. I will escort our friends here to where they can wait"

"Okay" Padma turned and walked off down the street, while Parvati turned to Harry and Sally "The first circle is in The Three Broomsticks" She pointed over their shoulders, and the pub faded in to view "Once The Commander is convinced, we will take you to the HQ to meet the rest of the resistance" She stared at them "Any questions?"

"Just one" Luna said. Parvati turned to her.

"Yes?"

"What if she isn't convinced?" Parvati stared at her for a moment.

"Do you really need me to answer that?"

xoxox

"How long do you think it will take for The Commander to be convinced?" Harry asked, looking around the pub "And do you think they plan to feed us before she makes up her mind?"

"Yes" A young voice came from behind them "They do" Harry and Luna turned to see a girl carrying two plates of food. She looked about their age, with jet-black hair and blue eyes "My name is Sophia"

"Hello Sophia" Luna smiled "I'm Luna Lovegood"

"Hello Luna" Sophia returned the smile, then turned to Harry "And you are Harry Potter" Harry nodded "Everyone knows about you" She paused "Although they didn't say how cute you were" Luna giggled as Harry blushed. He glared at her, then turned back to the young girl.

"So what does everyone say about me?" He asked.

"That you were the one who saw The King return. That you fought him and escaped" She paused "And then that you ran away, leaving all of your friends to die" Harry glanced at Luna again, who shrugged.

"Do you believe them?" He asked. The girl stared in to his eyes for a moment, then turned away and placed the two plates on the table.

"You should eat something" She gestured to the two stools "The methods that The Commander will use to determine whether you are telling the truth take some time to prepare, so you might be here a while" She saw Luna study her for a moment, then nod to Harry. He paused for a moment, then walked over to the table and sat down.

"So, Sophia – can you tell us about these methods?" Luna asked as she ate "I mean – if we are going to be subjected to tortures and torments beyond our imagination, I would like to make sure I get a good meal before we get started"

"I don't know" Sophia replied, then turned to Harry "What about you, Harry? have you got any questions?"

"How old are you?" He asked. When she didn't reply "You look as if you are the same age as us, but..."

"But what?" Sophia asked with a shy smile.

"We feel like we have met you before" Luna said, and Harry nodded.

"I am only just fifteen" She glanced at Harry "Same as as you, when you vanished" She smiled at him "If we'd been in school, we would have been in the same year" She giggled "Maybe sweethearts"

"Maybe" Harry replied with a smile, then glanced at Luna, who was obviously trying to stop herself from laughing out loud "Do you have something to say, Luna?"

"No" Luna shook her head, still smiling "At least, not yet" Harry stared at her for a moment, but then turned as Sophia nudged his plate.

"You really should eat some more, Harry" She smiled sweetly at him "You are nearly all skin and bone" She sighed "But given the way the Dursleys treated you, I'm not that surprised"

"How do you know about them?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Two decades is a long time" Luna replied suddenly "I would imagine that, after you vanished, Dumbledore, The Ministry and The Order would have turned the country upside down looking for you" She took his hand "Is it any wonder that the truth about your Aunt and her family would come out?"

"I suppose not" He sighed "I just don't like the idea of people knowing about my private life"

"Everybody knows" Sophia said in a kind voice "But, if it makes you feel any better, almost no one cares"

"Yes" Harry smirked "The fact that no one cares I was abused by my relatives makes me feel ever so much better"

"That's not what I meant" Sophie giggled "Stop being silly"

"I know" Harry leaned over and took her hand "I was just teasing you" She giggled again, then turned to Luna.

"So, Miss Lovegood - I take it you have worked it out?"

"Of course" Luna nodded "Did we pass?"

"Yes" Another voice came from the door, and all three occupants of the room turned to the door "You passed" Sophia turned back to the table.

"Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood – may I introduce our leader, The Commander of The Resistance – Hermione Granger-Weasley" She paused "My mother"

xoxox

"Your Majesty" Lucius Malfoy bowed low before the throne "I come with good news"

"Yes, Lucius?"

"Last night we stopped a raid against our training camp last night" Lucius grinned "And we have a number of prisoners"

"Excellent" Voldemort beamed down at him "Anyone of note, or more desperate half-bloods and muggle-born, looking for an escape?"

"Mostly the latter, your Majesty, but in amongst the rabble we found someone you have been searching for for a long while" He turned and signalled to an aide. A few moments later, a bound and gagged figure was dragged in to the throne room "Your Majesty, may I present Retired Master-Auror Alastor Mad-Eye Moody" Moody was flung to the floor in front of Voldemort, who stared down at him.

"Ah – Alastor" Voldemort grinned "You know – I had high hopes for you in the beginning, but then you proved to be as misguided as the rest" He continued to grin as the former Auror glared up at him "Nothing to say, Mad-Eye? Oh – wait – the gag" Voldemort reached out, then paused "But – if I am forgetting – your wandless magic. We wouldn't want you to go on a killing spree now, would we?" He sat back on his throne "Normally, if you were any average prisoner we had captured, we would torture you for information, and then kill you" He shook his head sadly "Alas, since you are so capable in wandless magic, we are simply going to kill you" He pulled out his wand "And, for much the same reason, I am afraid you will not be given any last words. But, since I can take a good guess at what you would say, I don't think they are any great loss"

xoxox

"Hermione?" Harry stared at his friend as she sat down at the table "Is that really you?"

"Yes" Hermione sat down between him and Luna "It is really me" She smiled deprecatingly "I know - I look older than you remember"

"Well – yes" Harry nodded "But..." He paused, staring at the person in front of him "Your hair. Your hand..."

"I... hurt my hand about fourteen years ago" She replied with a sigh "And I trimmed my hair short after..." She glanced at her daughter.

"After my father was killed" Sophia said quietly.

"Ron's dead?" Luna asked in surprise "I'm sorry"

"I didn't really know him" Sophia replied "He died about three weeks after I was born"

"Oh my" Harry gulped "It's that bad?" Hermione stared at him, then gave a short, sharp laugh.

"You really have no idea, do you?" She said sadly "Oh Harry - I am so, so sorry. The years you have missed... they've not been good to us" She paused "Nor to anyone, if I am honest" She turned to her daughter "But, as you can see, it has not been all bad news"

"Congratulations, by the way" Luna smiled "She has your eyes"

"I know" Hermione said with a smirk "I keep trying to get them back, but apparently she likes them more than she likes her own" She realised Harry and Luna were staring at her in surprise, while Sophia was merely staring at her with weary resignation.

"Mother" Her daughter sighed "Are you ever going to get tired of doing that joke?"

"Not as long as it gets a reaction, dear" She patter her daughter's hand, then turned back to Harry and Luna "I think I owe you an explanation"

"Can I try first?" Luna asked hopefully. Hermione nodded "I think what you are going to tell us is that your daughter is, for want of a better phrase, a telepath. She has taken legilimency to a whole new level, something beyond what we ever could have managed in our time. She came in here first, because as a girl – someone who is our age – we would feel less inclined to distrust her" She let her gaze cross to Harry "I suspect you didn't ask her to flirt with Harry, but since he is such a hottie, she decided to use the time to some good" She couldn't help smirking as both Harry and Sophia blushed "And, as she was talking, and flirting, with us, she was checking that we are who we say we are – that Voldemort, who I assume is the person that Sophia referred to as The King, hasn't managed to replicate, or clone us in some way" She paused "How am I doing?"

"Very well" Hermione nodded "And, since my daughter is rarely wrong, along with the fact the food was laced with a variation of veritaserum, we are convinced that you are who you say you are" She paused "Despite the fact it is patently impossible that you could be"

"Why would you say it is patently impossible?" Harry smirked "Just because we have come nineteen years in to the future and haven't aged a day - I would have thought this sort of thing happens every day"

"Harry – you're not helping" Luna admonished him, then she turned to Hermione "Neither of us know what happened – why we vanished one minute and re-appeared a few hours ago" She paused "We also have no idea what happened in the intervening years, although from what we have seen, we can take a fair guess"

"And we can guess that it isn't good" Harry finished "Hermione – we need to know"

"Yes, you do" Hermione replied "But right now, I need to take you in to the seventh circle, and introduce you to those who are still with us" She paused "And also explain how we got in to this situation in the first place" She turned to her daughter "And you, young lady, are to go back to the war room"

"But mum" Sophia glanced at Harry, and smiled "Wouldn't it be better for Harry and Luna to have someone they know with them – someone who is their age?" She looked up hopefully at her mother "I can help them get used to the new world they have found themselves in" Hermione gazed down at her daughter for a moment, then glanced across at Luna.

"What do you think, Luna?" She asked with a smirk "Do you think I should let my daughter act as your liaison for the time being?" Luna looked at Sophia, who was now staring at Harry again, then at Harry, who was blushing a little, then she turned back to Hermione.

"I think it would be a wonderful idea" She beamed at her friend "After all, we have a lot to learn, and I suspect that Sophia will be able to tell us a lot of what we want to know" She paused "And, if you are really The Commander of The Resistance, don't you have better things to be doing than showing us round the office?" Hermione paused, then glanced at Harry.

"What do you think Mr Potter?"

"I think Luna's right – you probably have a lot better things to do, and if Sophia has no objection" He glanced at Sophia, who nodded.

"Okay" Hermione agreed, then leaned over and whispered something in Harry's ear. His eyes went wide, and he gulped "Are we clear?"

"Yes, Commander" Harry replied in a serious tone "We're clear"

xoxox

"My Lord" Theodore Nott bowed before Lucius' desk "I have news"

"Indeed?" Lucius turned from the computer on his desk and stared at his Minister of Information.

"A few hours ago, we sent out two Aurors to Hogsmeade" Nott continued "There was a twitch in the wards around Hogwarts, and Flint sent out two of his men to look in to it"

"Did they find anything?"

"They haven't returned yet, sir" Nott replied hesitantly "Nor have they reported in"

"So why am I being bothered with this?"

"Well – given the reputation of the area, Flint wanted to check with me before he sent out any more Aurors, and I thought that I should bring this to you"

"What do you think caused the wards to react?" Lucius asked.

"I don't know" Nott shook his head "It could be an acromantula roaming from the forest, or a centaur that escaped the recent culls" He shrugged "And both of those would explain why Goyle and Crabbe haven't come back yet – a rogue acromantula isn't a pleasant thing to come across"

"So you think we should just ignore this, and the fact we have lost two Aurors, and carry on as if nothing happened?" Lucius asked in a low voice.

"No, Prime Minister" Nott replied "But I would advise Flint to wait a day or so, and then we send in a larger force than simply two, relatively useless Aurors" He paused "If that is acceptable to you, Minister?"

"Why are you asking me, Theodore?" Lucius stood up and glared down at him "This is your area – Flint reports to you. If you are in capable of making these decisions, perhaps we should replace you with someone who isn't an incompetent simpleton?"

"No – my Lord" Nott bowed again "I will see to it right away" He turned, and strode out of the office, not looking back.

xoxox

"So you are taking us to the inner circle?" Luna asked as Sophia led them down the main street of Hogsmeade.

"Yes" The girl glanced around, then turned down one of the side street "We tend to keep the circles separate, so that we can move them easily if the need arises"

"How often do you move?" Harry asked.

"Five times in the past year" Sophia smiled "Luckily, we have a friend in the government who gives us advance notice of raids in our vicinity, so we rarely lose anyone"

"Rarely?"

"It's war" Sophia said quietly "Rarely is the best we can hope for" She turned down another side-street then stopped "Okay. Do you have your wands?" They both nodded and pulled out their wands "Good" She pulled a piece of paper out of her robes, and handed it to them "You have to read this out, exactly as it is written" They glanced it over, then looked up at her.

"It's an oath" Luna said "And a pretty nasty one at that"

"I know" Sophia replied "But in the past two years alone, we have lost over fifty people because members of The Resistance betrayed us" She shrugged "Either you swear it, or I obliviate you here and now, and send you on your merry way" She pulled out her wand "And don't mistake the fact I am young for the fact I am inexperienced" She stared at them "So – what's it to be?"

xoxox

_Notes :- Sorry for the delay in continuing this story, but "The Silent Trio", "Project Darkling" and "The Western Sky" have been taking up a lot of my time. Now that I am only writing "The Western Sky" and this story, I hope to split my time between them in a more equal manner._


	5. Departing The Realm

Note : Although this story is no where near finished, I am not going to be updating it on this site any longer. As such, it is therefore marked complete.

The homepage link in my profile will show you where I am relocating too.


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